This invention relates to a disposable insect trap and, more particularly, to an insect trap which has lure and retaining materials internally and thus can be sanitarily removed and disposed.
In the home or in the food service, health care, or similar industries, various types of insects can be particularly troublesome. They are conventionally controlled by application of environmentally friendly or unfriendly insecticides or by poison baits, flypaper, fly strips, electronic bug xe2x80x9czappers,xe2x80x9d or insect traps.
Insect traps have conventionally come in a wide variety of configurations, some disposable, some with disposable components therein. Many of these insect traps generally use a combination of an adhesive and an attractant to trap insects such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,908 by Levey titled xe2x80x9cInsect Trap.xe2x80x9d These insect traps conventionally have a housing which holds an inner tubular structure. The inner tubular structure has a sticky exterior surface which traps the insects thereon. Because the insects are adhered to the outside of the inner tubular structure, any attempt to remove the inner structure from the trap would expose a person to decaying insect debris. Anyone in the vicinity when the removal is performed also would be exposed to an upsetting visual image. Additionally, without extremely careful handling, the decaying insect debris could actually contact the skin of the handler (and even other persons adjacent to the trap). These problems are especially acute in the commercial food industry where cleanliness and ambience are especially important to maintain both a sanitary and appealing atmosphere.
Other conventional insect traps may effectively kill the insects but fail to provide a is sanitary way to collect and dispose of the same. One example of alternatively configured insect traps which do not use an adhesive is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,303 by Floyd III titled xe2x80x9cInsect Trap.xe2x80x9d These traps have an outer shell and an inner tube which are assembled in an open chimney configuration. The insects are attracted to the trap by a chemical positioned in the inner tube and then exposed to a poison on the exterior surface of the inner tube whereupon the dead insects fall to the ground. The trap exposes the trapping area to dropping insect carcas"" which may be carriers of the poison as well as communicable diseases and further exposes people in the vicinity of the trap to offensive visual images. This type of trap is unsanitary and can be particularly inappropriate in food preparation and eating establishments as well as patient care settings.
Other insect traps have provided a cartridge which is removable and which traps the insect debris inhibiting the same from falling to the ground. As illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,561,832 by Corsi et al titled xe2x80x9cInsect Trap,xe2x80x9d the core or cartridge has a viscous material on the outer surface to trap insects thereon and a perforated shield frame detached from and surrounding the core permitting bugs to enter the trap. The core is removable for reapplication of viscous materials onto the outer surface. The shield perforations, however, provide visual access to the dead insects by displaying the accumulation of the decaying insect debris on the exposed surface of the core. In addition, removal of the core for reapplication of the viscous material or for disposal exposes personnel to offensive visual contact as well as possible physical contact to the exposed and unprotected decaying insect debris and any chemicals present in the adhesive.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a trap for pests such as insects which is economical, portable, easy to manufacture, and which provides for sanitary removal and disposal of insects trapped therein.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a trap, a kit, and methods for luring and retaining pests such as insects within the trap so that pests trapped within a disposable inner cartridge member can sanitarily be removed and another cartridge member can readily replace the disposed cartridge.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an insect trap with a disposable cartridge member having a sanitary and aesthetic way to lure, retain, and dispose of insects.
The present invention provides many advantages one of which, for example, is that the lure and retaining means is preferably an environmentally friendly combination of scent attractants and adhesives. This eliminates the malodorous poison aroma conventionally associated with insecticides which is particularly advantageous in restaurant and health care settings. It is, however, feasible to use any number of insecticides or poisons in the present invention without affecting the aesthetic and sanitary protection provided by the present invention during use, removal, and disposal of at least portions of the insect trap.
More particularly, the present invention provides an insect trap for luring and retaining insects therein. The insect trap preferably includes a hollow housing having at least one opening therein. The insect trap also has a hollow and enclosed cartridge member positioned in the housing and having at least one opening therein positionally aligned with the at least one opening of the housing so that insects may pass directly through the opening of the housing and into the cartridge member. The trap also includes luring and retaining means positioned within the cartridge member for luring and retaining insects within the cartridge member so that internal contents of the cartridge member can be sanitarily removed and disposed. By luring and retaining pests such as insects within the interior of the enclosed cartridge member, a person can readily remove the cartridge member from the housing and dispose of it without touching or being exposed to the insect debris, the lure, and the retainer positioned within the cartridge member.
Because the insect trap reduces exposure to insect debris, insect contact along outer surfaces of the cartridge member, the lure, and the retainer, the more sanitary disposal reduces the risk of potential health problems associated with contact or exposure by a person disposing of and replacing the cartridge member.
The cavity of the cartridge member allows selected lures and attractants to be positioned either alone or in combination with retaining means therein and further provides a sanitary barrier for protection from physical and visual contact with the internal contents of the cavity during use, removal, disposal, and replacement of the cartridge member. In addition, the housing can include either alone or in combination, a light source, alsynite panels or other materials, light reflecting colors, and increased surface area to improve insect attraction to the target insect trap.
Another advantage of the present invention, for example, is that the cartridge member is configured to allow a lure to be positioned in a container therein. The container is preferably readily accessible through a detachable or openable portion of the cartridge member and sealed to prolong shelf life of a lure by preventing activation during shipping and storage. As such, a lure can be prepackaged in a variety of preselected chemical compositions which address the customer""s needs. For example, the composition of the lure can vary and be interchanged or preselected depending on the seasonal requirements or the predominant species of insects in the user environment. The user merely removes the seal and inserts the container into the cartridge member. Of course, the container could also be an integral part of the cartridge member itself. Either way, the content of the container can vary depending on need.
Additionally, the present invention provides a kit for luring and retaining insects into a trap, the kit preferably includes a hollow and enclosed cartridge member having at least one opening therein and a hollow housing for receiving said hollow cartridge member therein. The housing preferably has at least one opening therein for positionally aligning with the at least one opening of the cartridge member so that insects may pass directly through the opening of the housing and into the cartridge member. The kit also includes luring and retaining means adapted to be positioned within the cartridge member for luring and retaining insects within the cartridge member so that internal contents of the cartridge member can be sanitarily removed and disposed.
Additionally, the insect trap kit advantageously provides a flexible and individually tailored way to match up customer requirements while minimizing costs by allowing the kit to be ordered so as to allow a customer a choice of a variety of lures in sealed containers. Upon receipt, the customer can activate the lure by removing the seal and placing the container in the cartridge through the easy opening portion of the cartridge member. The user then merely slides or places the cartridge member into the housing. The positional alignment of the cartridge member relative to the housing allows easy insertion of the cartridge member by opening the moveable portion of the housing and slidably inserting the cartridge member therein. This allows easy removal and disposal of the used cartridge member, and also easy replacement of a new cartridge member all the while allowing the housing to remain fixably mounted.
The present invention further provides a method for luring and retaining insects into a trap. The method preferably includes positioning a hollow cartridge member having an insect attractant positioned therein into a hollow housing and positionally aligning at least one opening in the cartridge member with at least one opening in the housing so that attracted insects pass directly into the cartridge member and do not have ready access between inner walls of the housing and outer walls of the cartridge member. Accordingly, this method provides an effective, sanitary, and cost effective way to trap and lure insects. The insect trap lures and traps the attracted insects into the cavity of the cartridge member thereby protecting the user from unsanitary and unsightly contact with the decaying insect debris and chemicals contained therein.